Hosea 6:10
New International Version
I have seen a horrible thing in Israel: There Ephraim is given to prostitution, Israel is defiled.

New Living Translation
Yes, I have seen something horrible in Ephraim and Israel: My people are defiled by prostituting themselves with other gods!

English Standard Version
In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing; Ephraim’s whoredom is there; Israel is defiled.

Berean Standard Bible
In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing: Ephraim practices prostitution there, and Israel is defiled.

King James Bible
I have seen an horrible thing in the house of Israel: there is the whoredom of Ephraim, Israel is defiled.

New King James Version
I have seen a horrible thing in the house of Israel: There is the harlotry of Ephraim; Israel is defiled.

New American Standard Bible
In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing; Ephraim’s infidelity is there, Israel has defiled itself.

NASB 1995
In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing; Ephraim’s harlotry is there, Israel has defiled itself.

NASB 1977
In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing; Ephraim’s harlotry is there, Israel has defiled itself.

Legacy Standard Bible
In the house of Israel I have seen an appalling thing; Ephraim’s harlotry is there; Israel has defiled itself.

Amplified Bible
I have seen a horrible thing [sins of every kind] in the house of Israel! Ephraim’s prostitution (idolatry) is there; Israel has defiled itself.

Christian Standard Bible
I have seen something horrible in the house of Israel: Ephraim’s promiscuity is there; Israel is defiled.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
I have seen something horrible in the house of Israel: Ephraim’s promiscuity is there; Israel is defiled.

American Standard Version
In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing: there whoredom is found in Ephraim, Israel is defiled.

Contemporary English Version
I have seen a terrible thing in Israel--you are unfaithful and unfit to worship me.

English Revised Version
In the house of Israel I have seen an horrible thing: there whoredom is found in Ephraim, Israel is defiled.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"I have seen horrible things in the nation of Israel. Ephraim is acting like a prostitute, and Israel is unclean.

Good News Translation
I have seen a horrible thing in Israel: my people have defiled themselves by worshiping idols.

International Standard Version
I have seen a horrible evil in the house of Israel— Ephraim's promiscuity. Israel is defiled.

Majority Standard Bible
In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing: Ephraim practices prostitution there, and Israel is defiled.

NET Bible
I have seen a disgusting thing in the temple of Israel: there Ephraim practices temple prostitution and Judah defiles itself.

New Heart English Bible
In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing. There is prostitution in Ephraim. Israel is defiled.

Webster's Bible Translation
I have seen a horrible thing in the house of Israel: there is the prostitution of Ephraim, Israel is defiled.

World English Bible
In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing. There is prostitution in Ephraim. Israel is defiled.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing, "" There [is] the whoredom of Ephraim—Israel is defiled.

Young's Literal Translation
In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing, There is the whoredom of Ephraim -- defiled is Israel.

Smith's Literal Translation
In the house of Israel I saw something horrible: there the fornications to Ephraim, Israel was defiled.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
I have seen a horrible thing in the house of Israel: the fornications of Ephraim there: Israel is defiled.

Catholic Public Domain Version
I have seen horrible things in the house of Israel; the fornications of Ephraim are there. Israel has been contaminated.

New American Bible
In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing: there is found Ephraim’s prostitution, Israel is defiled.

New Revised Standard Version
In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing; Ephraim’s whoredom is there, Israel is defiled.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
I have seen a horrible thing in the house of Israel: there Ephraim committed whoredom, and Israel was defiled.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
In the house of Israel I have seen a stupefying wonder; there Aphreim committed whoredom and Israel was defiled
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing; There harlotry is found in Ephraim, Israel is defiled.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
I have seen horrible things there, even the fornication of Ephraim: Israel and Juda are defiled;

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Israel and Judah are Unrepentant
9Like raiders who lie in ambush, so does a band of priests; they murder on the way to Shechem; surely they have committed atrocities. 10In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing: Ephraim practices prostitution there, and Israel is defiled. 11Also for you, O Judah, a harvest is appointed, when I restore My people from captivity.…

Cross References
Jeremiah 23:14
And among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible thing: They commit adultery and walk in lies. They strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that no one turns his back on wickedness. They are all like Sodom to Me; the people of Jerusalem are like Gomorrah.”

Ezekiel 16:46-52
Your older sister was Samaria, who lived with her daughters to your north; and your younger sister was Sodom, who lived with her daughters to your south. / And you not only walked in their ways and practiced their abominations, but soon you were more depraved than they were. / As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, your sister Sodom and her daughters never did as you and your daughters have done. ...

Isaiah 1:21
See how the faithful city has become a harlot! She once was full of justice; righteousness resided within her, but now only murderers!

Jeremiah 3:8-11
She saw that because faithless Israel had committed adultery, I gave her a certificate of divorce and sent her away. Yet that unfaithful sister Judah had no fear and prostituted herself as well. / Indifferent to her own infidelity, Israel had defiled the land and committed adultery with stones and trees. / Yet in spite of all this, her unfaithful sister Judah did not return to Me with all her heart, but only in pretense,” declares the LORD. ...

Ezekiel 23:1-49
Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying, / “Son of man, there were two women, daughters of the same mother, / and they played in Egypt, prostituting themselves from their youth. Their breasts were fondled there, and their virgin bosoms caressed. ...

Amos 2:4
This is what the LORD says: “For three transgressions of Judah, even four, I will not revoke My judgment, because they reject the Law of the LORD and fail to keep His statutes; they are led astray by the lies in which their fathers walked.

Micah 1:5-7
All this is for the transgression of Jacob and the sins of the house of Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob? Is it not Samaria? And what is the high place of Judah? Is it not Jerusalem? / Therefore I will make Samaria a heap of rubble in the open field, a planting area for a vineyard. I will pour her stones into the valley and expose her foundations. / All her carved images will be smashed to pieces; all her wages will be burned in the fire, and I will destroy all her idols. Since she collected the wages of a prostitute, they will be used again on a prostitute.

Isaiah 57:3-9
“But come here, you sons of a sorceress, you offspring of adulterers and prostitutes! / Whom are you mocking? At whom do you sneer and stick out your tongue? Are you not children of transgression, offspring of deceit, / who burn with lust among the oaks, under every luxuriant tree, who slaughter your children in the valleys, under the clefts of the rocks? ...

Jeremiah 5:7-9
“Why should I forgive you? Your children have forsaken Me and sworn by gods that are not gods. I satisfied their needs, yet they committed adultery and assembled at the houses of prostitutes. / They are well-fed, lusty stallions, each neighing after his neighbor’s wife. / Should I not punish them for these things?” declares the LORD. “Should I not avenge Myself on such a nation as this?

Ezekiel 22:25-28
The conspiracy of the princes in her midst is like a roaring lion tearing its prey. They devour the people, seize the treasures and precious things, and multiply the widows within her. / Her priests do violence to My law and profane My holy things. They make no distinction between the holy and the common, and they fail to distinguish between the clean and the unclean. They disregard My Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them. / Her officials within her are like wolves tearing their prey, shedding blood, and destroying lives for dishonest gain. ...

Matthew 23:27-28
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of impurity. / In the same way, on the outside you appear to be righteous, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

Romans 1:28-32
Furthermore, since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, He gave them up to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. / They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice. They are gossips, / slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant, and boastful. They invent new forms of evil; they disobey their parents. ...

1 Corinthians 5:1-2
It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is intolerable even among pagans: A man has his father’s wife. / And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have been stricken with grief and have removed from your fellowship the man who did this?

Revelation 2:20-23
But I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads My servants to be sexually immoral and to eat food sacrificed to idols. / Even though I have given her time to repent of her immorality, she is unwilling. / Behold, I will cast her onto a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her will suffer great tribulation unless they repent of her deeds. ...

2 Peter 2:13-15
The harm they will suffer is the wages of their wickedness. They consider it a pleasure to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deception as they feast with you. / Their eyes are full of adultery; their desire for sin is never satisfied; they seduce the unstable. They are accursed children with hearts trained in greed. / They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness.


Treasury of Scripture

I have seen an horrible thing in the house of Israel: there is the prostitution of Ephraim, Israel is defiled.

Jeremiah 2:12,13
Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the LORD…

Jeremiah 5:30,31
A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land; …

Jeremiah 18:13
Therefore thus saith the LORD; Ask ye now among the heathen, who hath heard such things: the virgin of Israel hath done a very horrible thing.

there.

Hosea 4:11,17
Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart…

Hosea 5:3
I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hid from me: for now, O Ephraim, thou committest whoredom, and Israel is defiled.

1 Kings 12:8
But he forsook the counsel of the old men, which they had given him, and consulted with the young men that were grown up with him, and which stood before him:

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Defiled Ephraim Ephraim's E'phraim's Evil False. Found Harlotry Horrible House Israel Itself Prostitution Unclean Ways Whoredom
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Defiled Ephraim Ephraim's E'phraim's Evil False. Found Harlotry Horrible House Israel Itself Prostitution Unclean Ways Whoredom
Hosea 6
1. Exhortations to repent and hope in God.
4. A lamentation over those who had sinned after conviction.
5. Reproofs of obstinate sinners, and threats against them.














I have seen
The phrase "I have seen" indicates a direct observation by God, emphasizing His omniscience and the personal nature of His relationship with Israel. The Hebrew root for "seen" is רָאָה (ra'ah), which implies not just a casual glance but a deep, penetrating insight. This suggests that God is fully aware of the inner workings and hidden sins of His people, leaving no room for deception or denial.

a horrible thing
translates from the Hebrew word שַׁעֲרוּרִיָּה (sha'aruriyyah), which conveys a sense of something shocking or abominable. This term is used to describe actions that are not only sinful but also deeply offensive to God. The use of such a strong word underscores the gravity of Israel's transgressions and the profound disappointment it brings to God, who desires holiness and righteousness from His people.

in the house of Israel
The "house of Israel" refers to the entire nation, God's chosen people, who were set apart to be a light to the nations. Historically, this phrase encompasses both the Northern Kingdom (Israel) and the Southern Kingdom (Judah), though Hosea primarily addresses the Northern Kingdom. The use of "house" (בַּיִת, bayit) signifies not just a physical dwelling but a familial and covenantal relationship. It highlights the betrayal of a people who were meant to live in close communion with God, yet have turned to idolatry and immorality.

There
points to a specific location or condition within Israel, emphasizing that the sin is not abstract but has a tangible presence. It serves as a marker of where the transgression is most evident, drawing attention to the epicenter of Israel's spiritual adultery.

Ephraim
is often used as a representative name for the Northern Kingdom of Israel, as it was the largest and most influential tribe. The historical context reveals that Ephraim was a leader among the tribes, and its actions set a precedent for the rest of the nation. The mention of Ephraim highlights the widespread nature of the sin and the failure of leadership to uphold God's covenant.

practices prostitution
is a metaphor for idolatry and unfaithfulness to God. The Hebrew word זָנָה (zanah) is used here, which literally means to commit fornication or adultery. In the prophetic literature, this term is frequently employed to describe Israel's spiritual infidelity, as they pursued other gods and forsook their covenant with Yahweh. This imagery is powerful, illustrating the depth of Israel's betrayal and the pain it causes God, akin to the heartbreak of marital unfaithfulness.

Israel
once again refers to the collective nation, emphasizing that the sin is not isolated but has permeated the entire community. This collective identity reminds readers of the corporate responsibility and the impact of individual and tribal sins on the whole nation.

is defiled
comes from the Hebrew טָמֵא (tame), meaning to be unclean or impure. This term is often associated with ritual impurity, which disqualifies one from participating in worship and community life. The defilement of Israel signifies a breach in their relationship with God, rendering them unfit for His presence and blessings. It serves as a call to repentance and purification, urging the nation to return to holiness and fidelity to their covenant with God.

(10) House of Israel.--This phrase means Ephraim and Judah subsequently discriminated. The "horrible thing" refers to polluting idolatry. This peculiar word occurs again in Jeremiah. According to the punctuation of the Hebrew the reciter hesitates before pronouncing the "horrible thing" which grated through his teeth.

Verse 10. - I have seen an horrible thing in the house of Israel: there is the whoredom of Ephraim, Israel is defiled. The house of Israel comprises

(1) the ten tribes of the northern kingdom, according to some; it seems more correct

(2) to understand it of the whole nation, including both the northern and southern kingdoms, in which case the remainder of the verse relates to the northern kingdom of the ten tribes, and the succeeding verse to the southern kingdom of the two tribes. Further, Israel is not synonymous with the parallel Ephraim, as Keil thinks; the latter is the principal tribe which led the way in Israel's apostasy. The "horrible thing" comprehends every sort of crime and abomination; while the" whoredom," literal or spiritual, is specified as an example thereof. (For the explanation of "there," see on ver. 7.)

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
In the house
בְּבֵית֙ (bə·ḇêṯ)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1004: A house

of Israel
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל (yiś·rā·’êl)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3478: Israel -- 'God strives', another name of Jacob and his desc

I have seen
רָאִ֖יתִי (rā·’î·ṯî)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 7200: To see

a horrible thing:
שַׁעֲרֽוּרִיָּ֑ה (ša·‘ă·rū·rî·yāh)
Adjective - feminine singular
Strong's 8186: A horror, horrible thing

There
שָׁ֚ם (m)
Adverb
Strong's 8033: There, then, thither

Ephraim
לְאֶפְרַ֔יִם (lə·’ep̄·ra·yim)
Preposition-l | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 669: Ephraim -- a son of Joseph, also his descendants and their territory

practices prostitution
זְנ֣וּת (zə·nūṯ)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 2184: Adultery, infidelity, idolatry

[and] Israel
יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ (yiś·rā·’êl)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3478: Israel -- 'God strives', another name of Jacob and his desc

is defiled.
נִטְמָ֖א (niṭ·mā)
Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 2930: To be or become unclean


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OT Prophets: Hosea 6:10 In the house of Israel I have (Ho Hs Hos.)
Hosea 6:9
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